7-year-old lost her shoe at beginning of race but her family didn't lose hope—she proved them right in the end

Showing up and supporting your child matters more than you know. A simple word of encouragement or cheering can boost a child’s spirit in unbelievable ways. 7-year-old strong and determined Talaya found the support of her mum and dad ringing in her ears when she suffered a setback at a race. Her dad, Terence Crawford (@tbudcrawford), shared a video of the girl’s performance during the race and it's really inspiring. 

The race began casually with all the girls running in their lanes. Talaya was confident with the performance she was about to deliver. Unfortunately, after a few steps onto the racetrack, the girl ran out of her shoe. She had to go a few steps back, put on her shoe and figure out whether she wanted to continue the race. Every millisecond counts in a race and here, she lost out on several seconds due to the mishap. Nevertheless, the girl confidently continued the race. Almost all participants got a good start because of the error but Talaya refused to leave without a fight.

As soon as she put on her shoe, she resumed running like nothing ever happened. Her parents, too, boosted her spirits. Shouting and cheering to their loudest for their little girl, they stood by her throughout her run. Despite the girl being far behind, her family didn’t stop cheering and continued to vouch for her the loudest. They didn't know if she’d win but they wanted to ensure she made it to the finish line with all the pride and effort she had put in. “Let’s go, Talaya, good job!” her mom yelled before remarking, “I’m her mama!” With her flawless speed and skill, the girl held onto her parents’ hope.

With firm concentration and confidence, she ran faster than expected. Soon, she overtook the girls who had the lead and was in first place. From a rough start to an effortless finish, the girl bagged the medal. Her determination and dedication throughout the race, despite the setback, has her father in awe. He wrote in his caption how her example inspired him as an athlete. “I just can’t stop thinking about my daughter's track meet yesterday. She doesn’t have a clue how much she just motivated me. This is the definition of not giving up, heart and grit. She let it all hang out even when she was hit with adversity,” he wrote.

Others too, commended the girl, not just for winning but for not giving up and moving on to give her best. @sls0516 remarked, “This video stands for so much. She set the tone.” @andyb1301 said, “No matter how you train, who trains you, your diet, etc. If you don’t have that fire and heart, you may come unstuck—your princess has it.” @mr.haileyz added, “When I originally saw the video, it brought tears to my eyes...the perseverance....the love and support from the family.”

You can follow Terence Crawford (@tbudcrawford) on Instagram for more content on parenting and sports.